Rating: Summary: Absolute Dog Review: Baz Luhrman's previous two films, Romeo and Juliet and Simply Ballroom had a lot going for them. They had considerable energy and visual style. Obviously with Romeo and Juliet he also had a good writer. This film however is dreadful. It is little more than an endless video clip. Instead of dialogue a large amount of the communication between the characters is by chanting out pop songs. The plot is one about selfish people. A young play writer whose ambition it is to produce low rent theatrical productions, a actress who wants to move from dance routines to become a serious actress and is willing to sleep with anyone to do it and a theatrical producer who is willing to prostitute around his staff to get funds for an upgrade of his theatre. The moral quality of the characters is enough to make one vomit and the basis of the audiences identification with them is through their physical attractivness. In reality of course with a film like this it is probably ridiculous to talk about the deficiencies of the plot. The heroine for instance suffers from mysterious movie disease. That is a disease that has no real effect on health until the last scene of the film. Prior to that her problem seems to not limit her ability to lead an extremely active life. It is the sort of film which either grabs you because the imagery is beautifull, the pace is frantic and the sets and dancing is okay. However in his previous films although not epic works of the mind seemed to have just a little bit more to grab you. Simply ballroom had less egotistical characters, Romeo and Juliet was based on a piece of our heritage which we all know. This is like watching a Comic Strip without the interlectual depth. I thought Pearl Harbour was the worst film this year till I saw this.
Rating: Summary: RAGE AGAINST THE HATERS. Review: I know "Moulin Rouge" is just a movie, but it's my favorite movie, and I feel the need to defend it against all the people who are dissing it so hatefully. I've seen it described here as "sophomoric," "pretentious," and "the worst movie ever." This is mostly from people who "couldn't stand it" and turned it off after less than an hour. How could you people possibly make such a definitive judgement on a film you didn't even watch? If this is the worst movie you've ever seen, you obviously don't know anything about film. "Moulin Rouge" is the most invogarating, satisfying, refreshing cinematic experience I have ever had. It's beautiful in it's SIMPLICITY. Yes, we've seen the story a million times...but never presented in this manner. The film is amazing...a true feast for the eyes and ears. It surely required an incredible amount to creativity and imagination (something so lacking in films these days). And the emotional impact is intense. The actors put their all into their roles. Never have I seen performances approached with such abandon. Ewan McGregor deserves an Academy Award for this film. More than angry, I feel sorry for people who don't like this movie. How jaded and cynical they must be. (Or maybe they're just stupid, and prefer pointless dreck like "The Fast and the Furious.") The film has brought me so much joy, and will continue to do so for a very long time. Here is my suggestion to those who did not like it: Please give it another chance. First, rent Baz Luhrmann's previous films, "Strictly Ballroom" and "Romeo & Juliet." This will give you an idea of his unique style. Then, for godsakes, open your minds a little and watch "Moulin Rouge" again. I assure you, it gets better every time you see it. What could possibly be so awful about a movie that celebrates TRUTH, BEAUTY, FREEDOM, and LOVE? Aren't those the things that really matter in life?
Rating: Summary: A Truly Amazing Movie, with an equally impressive DVD Review: What can a person say to describe Moulin Rouge? I have heard many hardened critics say they were "blown away", or that the Spectacular cinema spectacle was the best movie of the year. The acting is top class, with Nicole Kidman, Ewan MacGregor and Jim Broadbent particulary impressive but, with this impressive movie to fall back on it would have been easy for the DVD to have been released with minimal fuss and effort, as if any a movie could sell itself this would have been it. But, as seems to be the case with him, director Baz Lurhman didn't feel content to merely release the film by it's own, so he came up with a 2 disc DVD extravaganza! The first DVD features the film, as well as the commentaries and other hidden features but the second disk is filled with nearly 2 hours of additional footage including an impressive making of the movie, interviews with the stars, trailers, music videos, cut scenes, extended dances with multi-angle viewing capability, early script drafts as well as photo galleries and a whole host of other extras. This DVD is by far one of the best I have seen and I would honestly reccomend this to anyone: to put it simply; no DVD collection will be complete without this modern classic in it. Buy it now!!
Rating: Summary: My favourite movie! Review: I loved this movie and its soundtrack as well! It is definitely not your typical love story or musical but it is wonderfully made. Vivid colours, great dance sequences, creative use of song. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the Danes/DiCaprio version of Romeo & Juliet and anyone who just likes a good, original musical with modern music.
Rating: Summary: A feast for the eyes Review: Should viewers have seen this production in the movie theatre, I strongly urge you to own a piece of this DVD which provided you with so much insight about behind the scene actions, the creative process, the production process, the background research that brought Moulin Rouge onto the silver screen. I found the whole experience highly enjoyable (watching both the documentary & the movie itself) & got to learn more about Baz, the whimsical Director who was able to connect with his audience by introducing contemporary pop culture into a story that was set back a century ago. Baz shared one similar sentiment with Peter Jackson, the New Zealand director who brought us Lord of the Rings, that the essence of going to watch their movies was to allow viewers to escape from the real world just momentarily & thus, the movies were never meant to be taken seriously but as feast to the eyes. Moulin Rouge exceeded my expectation & I'm too certain that you wouldn't be disappointed. All the extra features in the DVD are highlights in their own rites
Rating: Summary: MOULIN ROUGE: You either love it or hate it. Review: First let me say that my actual rating for this movie is three and a half stars. Now judging by the reviews posted on this site for this movie you either love MOULIN ROUGE or you don't. I would not go so far so to say I hate it but of course I don't love it. I'll skip the opera like plot since probably mostly everyone knows it. The movie is filled with tons of kinetic energy, hypnotic sets, costumes, cinematography, editing, and choreography as well as leading and supporting actors which appeal to everyone. And don't forget all that music and dancing. Baz Luhrman has directed opera before and many remember his avant guarde interpretation of ROMEO AND JULIET so one would think he's perfect for this job and he is. The operatic performances by Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor suit this movie very well. Now the reason why I did not think this was a perfect movie: when it doesn't have any singing or dancing (and even while there is singing and dancing) it reverts to unabashed kitsch. This becomes very tiring after a while. The majority of the kitsch comes during the second hour. It is made up of over-the-top sentiment which this viewer could not seem to get used to. There will be people who will embrace it for it's kitsch and those who will not. It all depends on you. But in terms of it's artistry (the singing, sets, etc.) one can't deny it's an accomplished film.
Rating: Summary: the next cult favorite! Review: I predict this will become the next "Rocky Horror Picture Show", complete with costumed viewers singing along in the theaters.
Rating: Summary: A Big Disappointment Review: I am a Nicole Kidman fan. I like the soundtrack to Moulin Rouge. However, I must say this is the most ill-directed, ill-conceieved piece of trash to come out of Hollywood in the past seventy-five years. The "plot" is assinine. The characters are weak. What passes for cinematography is at best wretched. Don't waste your money. Don't even waste your time.
Rating: Summary: Exhilarating! Review: Wow, what a movie. I didn't see this movie until it came out on DVD... while it was at the theater I kept saying it didn't look like my kind of movie. For some reason - a whim, I guess - I decided to buy the DVD... I watched it twice in a row that night. I fell in love with this movie... The music, the acting, the scenary, the costumes, everything... I watched it about four more times that weekend. It's become one of my absolute faves. Never have I felt such awe while watching a movie. When I told my best friend about it, her immediate reaction was.. "No no, not my kind of movie." I just grinned and told her that's exactly what I thought too before I watched it. We'll see if I turn her into a fan...
Rating: Summary: Horrible Review: Visually brilliant throughout, wonderful eye candy. Every other aspect of this film is shockingly bad. Several scenes were laugh out loud awful. The 1st disc has several nice features. The 2nd disc never entered the player. I forced myself to finish the film and almost stopped several times. I was pulled along just to see how much worse it could get and was not denied.
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